Lentils for Nutritious, Sustainable, and Resilient Food Systems in southern Africa…the journey begins in Malawi
H. A. Pswarayi
University of Nottingham
The Birth of an Idea…
- From MAPS project,
- and Geonutrition studies,
- Southern Africa’s Food Systems deficient in protein, micro-nutrients.
- Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, etc
- From MAPS simulation:
- lentils, most efficient for supplying the nutrients
- because cheapest to grow and buy
Southern Africa…
::: incremental
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Causes of Regional Nutrient Deficiency…interlocking challenges
- Government policies
- Cropping practices
- Climate change
- Diets and culture
Government Policies…
- Policies that favor non-nutritious crops:
- maize grain marketing boards maize
- maize production packages ensuring staple adequacy
- promoting tobacco for the export market
- tobacco crop packages
Cropping Practices…..
- Neglecting soil pH problems…
- yet, most soils in region have low pH, acidic
- due to continuous fertilizer use,
- without promoting liming to ameliorate the problem,
- Hence:
- prevalence of low crop yields,
- and inadequate food production,
- due to reduced fertilizer efficiency, and Al toxicity.
Cropping Practices…
- No meaningful crop rotation practices by small holders…
- yet, legume-cereal rotations have boosted soil fertility for millenia
- The lack of rotation practices is driven by…
- govt policies encouraging maize and tobacco production
- lack of viable alternative cash crops
- and small land holdings due to population pressure
Climate change…
- Southern Africa is prone climate change effects
- due to its geographical location.
- Hence:
- frequent droughts, heat waves, erratic rainfall
- leading to frequent crop failures…hunger…poverty,
- and, therefore, widespread nutrient deficiencies.
Diets and Culture…
- Regional diets are carbohydrate heavy
- maize based
- with limited protein intake
- animal protein, un-affordable
- plant proteins, not cultural
- southern Africa consumes the least pulses in Africa
- there is no active promotion for pulse consumption
One Stop Solution…
- lentils are a strategic crop
- because of multiple attributes
- that will unlock the intertwined, complex food system challenges
Lentils improve human health…
- They are nutritious:
- rich in protein,
- rich in complex carbohydrates,
- rich in minerals: K, Mg, Fe, Se, folate, Ca, P, Zn
- richest in fiber, good for digestion, insulin regulation
Lentils improve soil health
- lentils encourage good soil husbandry
- by encouraging farmers to ameliorate soil acidity,
- because lentils are very sensitive to acidic soils
Acidic Soils (pH 3.6)…severe stunting
Acidic Soils (pH 3.6)…susceptible to drought
Lentils are water efficient…
- lentil crops require minimal rainfall
- about 300 - 500 mm, annually
- compared to maize that require about double
- hence, lentils adapt better to shortening of rainfall seasons by climate change
Lentils reduce domestic energy consumption…
- Because they cook in 10-30 minutes,
- which saves energy,
- and reduces deforestation,
- Firewood, a primary source of domestic energy in southern Africa
- due to low generation capacity of electricity
- and a large, and poor rural population
Lentils improve animal health…
- Because lentil stover is:
- more palatable,
- higher in digestibility,
- nutrients: protein, Ca, and P,
- and is better than cereal stover.
Lentils and gender
Lentils and intercropping
Lentils, a profitable cash crop…
- Lentils have a multi-billion pound (£) international market
- major consumers in south Asia (e.g., India)
- where lentils are integral to daily diets
- Canada, the largest producer, and exporter
- mainly by large-scale prairie farmers
- India, the second largest producer
- mainly by small-holder farmers
Introducing lentils into Southern Africa…
- A holistic approach
A Food Systems Approach…
- A focus on production, consumption, marketing, storage:
- Production:
- developing/evaluating varieties, learning agronomy
- Consumption:
- innovating and promoting lentil dishes
- Marketing:
- developing local and international markets
- Storage: ensuring product quality
The Multiple Disciplines…
- Plant breeders, agronomists, soil scientists,
- nutritionists, public health, extensionists,
- Post-harvest scientists, plant protection,
- Sociologists, Statisticians, agricultural engineers,
- Economists, marketing, Trade,
- Farmers, households, NGOs, policy makers.
Project status…
- The journey began in Malawi, in 2023/4 cropping season
- with stakeholder engagement
- and 3 pilot trials, in 3 environments,
- to identify future breeding materials,
- to identify suitable environments,
- to learn lentil agronomy
Identifying future breeding materials…
- Evaluating 570 accessions from ICARDA:
- For traits of interest:
- drought tolerance
- heat resistance
- high yield
- disease and pest resistance
- early maturity
